Wednesday, October 5, 2016

When Richard Widmark starred in Slattery’s Hurricane,
released January 1, 1949, the only way to tell the strength of a hurricane was
to have some nut fly through it.

Hurricanes have been and still are

“This is a hurricane. Hurricanes are windstorms of great
violence several hundred miles in diameter, with a dead calm at the center
called the eye. Like whirlpools, they spin rapidly, hurling great destruction
in their paths. They're spawned in the doldrums, their father the heat of the
sun, their mother the moisture of the sea. From July to December every year,
the Caribbean crawls with these evil offspring of the elements. “

The movie made a lasting impression on me.

"Slattery's Hurricane thus begins with this narrative by Gary
Merrill. Will Slattery (Richard Widmark), a former World War II Navy pilot
still on inactive reserve, forcibly takes his employer's Grumman Mallard from
the estate in Miami and heads for an incoming hurricane. He obtains his
bearings from a Navy control tower by pretending to be a weather patrol flight.
Despite a threat of court martial when the Navy discovers the ruse, Slattery
flies into the storm, reviewing his life in flashback for the next hour...

"Disgruntled with the service, in part because he was
disciplined instead of decorated for a hazardous mission, Slattery left the
Navy and became a private pilot for candy manufacturer R.J. Milne (Walter
Kingsford) on the recommendation of his girlfriend, Dolores Grieves (Veronica
Lake), Milne's secretary. He lives an easy life, until the day he literally
bumps into "Hobby" Hobson (John Russell), an old Navy buddy. Amused
that Hobson stayed in the Navy, he nonetheless accepts an invitation to fly
along on a weather flight into the heart of a hurricane. Slattery is disturbed
to find that Hobby is married to Slattery's former lover, Aggie (Linda
Darnell), who ended their unhappy relationship years before. At dinner for the
two couples, he pretends to have just met her, but Dolores immediately suspects
their past attachment. Slattery invites Hobby to fly with him the next day,
maneuvering Aggie into coming along, to show off his lifestyle, and introduces
them to Milne and his shady partner, Gregory (Joe De Santis).

"Slattery tricks Aggie into meeting him alone while Hobby is
away, and although she initially rejects his "fast one", he seduces
her. Dolores confronts Slattery and they argue over his betrayal of Hobby and
the effect his job is having on him. He soon discovers Dolores not only moved
out, but quit her job as well, alarming Milne and Gregory, who fear she knows
too much about their dealings. In the meantime, Slattery's affair with Aggie
continues. Milne has Slattery fly him to a remote Caribbean island, where Milne
has a heart attack. Slattery tries to save his life on the flight back, and
discovers that Milne is smuggling drugs, taped to his chest. Milne dies and
Slattery keeps the "parcel". Dolores telephones him and warns him
again to get out, but he gets drunk instead. Gregory beats him up to get back
the "parcel", but Slattery counters with a warning that he has hidden
information about the smuggling ring in a safe deposit box, should anything
happen to him.

"The Navy unexpectedly awards Slattery the Navy Cross from
his wartime heroics. Dolores attends the ceremony, but when she sees Slattery
embrace Aggie afterwards, collapses and is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward
for "pharmacopsychosis," or drug addiction. Slattery is called in by
her doctor and castigated for his role in her illness. He leaves his Navy Cross
with Dolores and goes to Aggie's to end the relationship. A drunken Hobby is
there, however, having discovered the affair. He beats an unresisting Will, but
is ordered to report for a hurricane mission. Slattery sees that Hobby is in no
condition to fly the mission and knocks him out to prevent it. He then steals
his employer's plane and flies into the storm...

"Slattery flies into the eye of the hurricane and reports its
position. His warning is instrumental in saving Miami from serious loss of life
and property loss, but in returning to Miami, he loses an engine. Believing he
will crash, he also radios the tower about the location of the drug-smuggling
information. When the plane does crash, he unexpectedly survives. Slattery is
accepted back on active duty, and by Dolores."

I liked Richard Widmark movies and encourage everyone to consider it for entertainment.

Today, Hurricane Matthew is threatening Florida and President Barack Obama has been on TV telling I-95 corridor residents to listen to their local folks.